#also i wonder what songs are on the mp3 player...

[lokimobius]

💙 and lokius 🥺💕

This was SO much fun to write that I got a little bit carried away. I hope you enjoy silly, drunk Mobius!

💙 drunken kiss / tipsy

Loki had lost sight of Mobius at some point during the evening. The TVA staff were celebrating Casey’s promotion to Assistant in Repairs and Advancements. He spent so much time down there and had so much knowledge that it only made sense for him to officially change his role. 

They could do that now. They decided for themselves what they wanted to do. 

So, they celebrated. Mobius told B-15 about the collection of alcohol that Ravonna kept in her office. Apparently, she stole some from every mission that she went on. For someone who was so obsessed with the rules, Ravonna sure did seem to break them when it benefited her. 

However, she and those rules were long gone, and they were able to work and live freely.

B-15 and Mobius had used a trolley to cart all of the alcohol into the cafeteria. O.B. found an old MP3 player in one of his many "junk drawers" that he hooked up to some speakers, and they dimmed the lights to make the atmosphere feel like nighttime.

It didn’t take long for everyone in their area to show up. Once they heard that there’d be alcohol, they finished their work quickly, excited to try all of the drinks that Ravonna had hidden away. 

Loki loved a good party as much as the next person, but he was well aware that the TVA workers were all humans—humans who hadn't had the opportunity to build up a tolerance to alcohol. 

He stood in the corner of the room, nursing his sixth glass of wine. Midgardian drinks were weak in comparison to those elsewhere in the universe, and he barely felt a buzz. 

His eyes scanned the room, hoping to spot Mobius so they could go back to their apartment. Agents and hunters mingled loudly, laughing amongst themselves. Loki smiled at the jovial atmosphere; he'd never seen everyone so relaxed. 

“Hey there.” A voice shook him out of his daze, and he looked to his side to see a wobbly Mobius making his way over to him. 

“Do you always haunt the corners of parties?” He laughed, stumbling into a nearby table. “So, uh, can I get you a drink?” 

Loki raised his eyebrows at Mobius and lifted his glass of wine in answer. 

“Right. Right…” Mobius said, blushing slightly. 

What was going on with him? 

“I, um,” he began, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. “I was wondering if you were single?” 

Loki’s jaw dropped, and he stared at his partner in disbelief. He couldn’t be serious. Right? Surely the alcohol couldn’t make him forget their relationship? Could it?

“I'm taken, actually...” 

Mobius scowled and huffed slightly, and he shifted his weight from one foot to another. 

“Who’s the lucky person, then?” he asked petulantly. He took a swig of the drink in his hand and swirled the ice around, avoiding eye contact with Loki. His bottom lip jutted out in a pout. 

Mobius was sulking. Loki laughed. This was absolutely ridiculous, and he would never let Mobius live this down. 

He flashed his most charming smile and stepped closer into Mobius’ personal space. Mobius’ eyes met his, and they widened considerably, obviously taken aback at the closeness. 

“You are,” Loki purred, leaning close to his ear. 

Mobius spluttered, nearly spilling his drink. “I am?! How’d I manage that?” The shock made him sway to the side suddenly, and Loki grabbed him by the waist to steady him. 

“Wow,” Mobius said, looking up at Loki starry-eyed. “I scored big time. The most gorgeous person in the room? And you’re my partner?" 

He laughed loudly, and his drink sloshed in his glass as he threw his head back. “Oh, triple M, you’ve done it again!” 

Triple M? Oh, Loki was definitely not letting him forget about this. 

Loki placed his drink on the table closest to him and came back to pluck Mobius’ glass from his hands. Mobius protested with a little “hey!” and reached out for the drink dramatically, as if Loki had taken something precious from him. 

“I think it’s time I took you home, don’t you?” 

Mobius blushed again, red spreading from his cheeks all the way down his neck. Loki smirked. 

“Well, that’s very- yes!” Mobius cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s very forward of you.” 

Loki returned his arm to Mobius’ waist and steered him out of the room, making his way as quickly as he could to the closest elevator to the living quarters. 

“We live together, Mobius.” 

“We do?!” Mobius smiled, slumping into Loki’s side as they waited for the elevator doors to open. “That’s great!” He closed his eyes and leaned further into Loki. “Fantastic,” he said under his breath. 

The ding of the elevator made Mobius jump, and Loki laughed quietly to himself. 

He propped Mobius up against the elevator wall and pressed the button for their floor. 

No sooner had the doors closed, he felt himself being shoved up against the wall. His back pressed hard against the railing, and he arched his back slightly to accommodate it, in the process pushing his body closer to Mobius’. 

He looked down to see a very flushed Mobius. His pupils had dilated, and they flicked down to Loki’s lips before looking back up to make eye contact with him. 

Mobius slowly removed his hands from Loki’s shoulders and placed them on either side of Loki’s head, caging him against the wall. 

Loki’s heart quickened in his chest as Mobius inched closer, nuzzling at the underside of his jaw. His breath hitched at the contact, and Mobius hummed before pressing his lips against Loki’s. 

It started out gentle; Loki could tell Mobius was being cautious. Perhaps he still didn’t believe that they were together. The thought made him smile against Mobius’ lips. 

The act made Mobius moan, deepening the kiss with a swipe of his tongue. It was messy; Mobius lacked any control in his inebriated state, and he tasted like alcohol. Their teeth clacked together, and Loki winced slightly. He placed his hands on either side of Mobius’ face in order to steady him, but that just made him moan louder, and he pushed his body impossibly closer. 

A ding and a slide of the elevator doors startled the both of them, and Mobius jumped back, wiping his lips on his shirt sleeve. 

A blonde analyst stood frozen at the threshold, mouth agape, very obviously scandalised at the sight she’d walked in on. 

“Oh, I do apologise, miss.” Loki flushed. “We’ll be on our way now!” 

Loki quickly glanced to see what floor they were on and grabbed Mobius’ hand to drag them out into the hallway. 

Mobius giggled to himself, swaying on his feet as he trailed behind Loki. 

“Is this something we do a lot?” He asked, slurring his words slightly before adding, “Mischief?” 

Loki laughed as he unlocked their door. 

“Oh, you have no idea.” 

[dropthedemiurge]

Let Free The Curse of Taekwondo: Things you didn't notice #1

Isn't this another K-BL where I'm internally squealing because of every single detail? You bet it is. You can read my other meta/cultural detail/Korean language posts for Love for Love's Sake, Time of Fever, Grey Shelter and Boys be Brave on my pinned post or hashtags^^ (I really need to organize it under one singly hashtag tho...)

I already talked about how impressed I am with the fact that this series has done their preparation job well, with props, settings, language, history etc.

It is about a countryside/small town in Southern province of Korea - because a lot of characters use satoori (southern dialect), almost all of them except for the main two guys. There is also a distinct contrast/conflict between 'fancy Seoul rich guys' looking down on 'Southern town'. Juyoung even was surprised Dohoi doesn't use satoori.

To which, he responded with 'You'll be uncomfortable if I use it". And Juyoung said there are plenty other uncomfortable things around here, beside understanding/listening to everyone using other accent xD Confusing Gaga translation errors, we meet again!

Actually, it's interesting because Dohoi's name is written 이도회 in Korean, which typically would be written as 'Dohoi' but pronounced as 'Dohwe' (think of surname Choi that is actually pronounced as Chwe), yet in the first episode I clearly heard them actually say 'Dohoi', letter by letter. Now I wonder if it's also related to satoori... I wish I could speak it, it sounds so cool tbh.

He actually said 'I'm not in a good condition', meaning his physical form. What do you mean, mood, when was that ever an excuse in sports..?xD

By the way, what is it with boys trying to get closer to other boys by buying them unusual ice cream?:') Okay, garlic sounds more weird than red bean one :D

Also, I tried to find the Hasong town they talked about but failed - maybe because of incorrect transcription or maybe they made up this town based on Uiseong - a small town close to Daegu which is famous for being the most famous garlic town, they produce a lot of it and garlic fame would be seen everywhere - so who knows, I bet they allude to this when Juyoung said 'why can't there be a vanilla garlic ice cream? It's like a collaboration!'

Another thing, I thought the time of this series was somewhere around 1990s-2000s (because I watched a movie in similar setting that was called 1997 year but they still used pagers, now that I think about it). It was also still the time where teachers could use physical punishment on their students, it's heavily highlighted but I don't actually know around what time they stopped... Probably in Seoul, they already were getting rid of it but in small towns it was old-school teaching, which is again why Dohoi tried to tell Joyoung out of it.

I'm not familiar when small laptops and phones appeared in Seoul but I think the series is actually somewhere around 2005-2010! Which would make sense, Juyoung got the 'cool' flip-phone and a laptop with Windows XP (released in 2001) but small town is still far from that, as they use landline house phones to make a call.

He also has mp3 player and as other tumblr folks figured out, he was listening and dancing to Jewelry song released in 2005 :)

And another thing that convinced me about the time era... the final scene!

Do you want to know why at the end of Ep 1 Dohoi smiled and laughed and ran to Juyoung even after so many exhausting days and neverending small miseries and a new loud housemate?

Because Juyoung not only came to pick him up with an umbrella in the acid rain, he also reenacted the famous umbrella scene from the classic romantic K-drama called "Temptation of Wolves" (늑대의 유혹) which was released in 2004! To make Dohoi laugh.

(Yes, when Juyoung intentionally put the umbrella down and the camera cut the shot to the framing when the umbrella slowly lifts up, showing smiling Juyoung, I was like 'you did nooooooot' xD)

(last screenshots taken from @heretherebedork post, I'm sorry I am very lazy and cannot take a good screenshot for life :'))

So that was already our very first romantic teasing-implication!

Another cute thing: optimistic Joyoung wrote a diary entry into the fake old Korean "Facebook" (they had Cyworld instead) to share his first selfie with Dohoi:

"[Excited Shin Jjuyoung]" (typing in a popular back then teenage style) "I miss you guys... But here it's nice too hehe ^___^ Come to play with me!! Together with my friend Dohoi too~~!"

Aren't they the cuteestttttt? I mean, this dynamic is not new but I love how unique the setting is. And I can't wait to watch the second episode, I'm waiting and savoring the first one for now but I'm going to make notes about other episodes as well so stay tuned! If you reply/comment in tags, I will put you in my tag list^^

Tag list: @benkaben @pickletrip @troubled-mind

[nerdiel-has-no-braincells]

Cat Nap

ft. gojo satoru x gn!reader

summary: gojo had just gotten an earful from his teacher and is seeking you out. what he finds is unexpected ❦

a/n: i’ve been working on this short one for a while deciding on how long i actually wanted it but decided to keep it short but sweet

Satoru stretched as he walked through the halls of Jujutsu college. Yaga had given him another lecture about his lack of attention in the classroom. While Satoru had stayed behind, Shoko and Suguru had snuck off to smoke. You, however, disappeared, and he was trying to find you.

He knew you weren’t inside the school — the sun was shining and the weather itself was perfect for you being late Spring. You enjoyed spending time outside so Satoru knew you were outside somewhere.

Opening the door to the outside hall, his eyes wandered around, looking for that familiar figure.

Hands in his pockets, he wandered outside. You weren’t in the training grounds, you weren’t in the forest nor were you near the vending machines. He had one place to check, which was your favorite tree. The tree was big enough to shade you from the sun without taking away the warmth. Often Satoru would find you there and eventually it became the group’s lunch spot. It had a nice view of the city and the cherry blossoms in the Spring. It easily became his favorite spot as well.

As he neared the tree, Satoru looked up to see the top of your head. A smile appeared on his face as he felt his heart pound as he got closer to you.

Standing in front of you, Satoru tilted his head to the side and let out a quiet chuckle. You had fallen asleep, leaning against your favorite tree, earbuds in your ear and your mp3 player beside you. You were too cute.

Taking out his flip phone, he took a picture of you as you slept, making it his background.

The smile on his face matched the feeling in his heart; warm as he looked at his new background.

Putting his phone back into his pocket, he sat down next to you leaving no space. He told himself that he wanted to be there for you in case you fell over but in actuality he wanted to touch you.

He slowly and gently took your hand and held it, rubbing the pad of his thumb against your soft skin.

Looking at you, he wondered what you were listening to so he reached his free arm around and gently took out one of your ear buds and set it into his ear so that he could also listen to your music.

A warm and comforting song was playing and he immediately recognized what song it was—he’d caught you singing it one day when you were passing the training grounds on your way to the vending machines.

He felt at peace. It was the perfect sunny day where he spent time with the one who was perfect for him listening to the perfect song.

Closing his eyes, he let himself relax and lull into a deep sleep.

Shoko and Geto wandered around looking for the two of you. Satoru was meant to find you but it had been an hour with no word causing them to find Satoru as well.

What surprised them was the sight of you and Satoru sleeping against the tree, holding hands, your head on his shoulder and his head on top of yours, the two of you connected by earbuds. A smile was formed on your face while you slept as if you were dreaming of this exact moment.

The sight made Shoko and Geto want to let out an audible ‘awww’ but they didn’t want to risk waking you up.

Instead, they took out a camera and took a photo of the two of you.

Shoko planned on printing two copies; one for you and one for Satoru. The two of them knew of your feelings for each other, but the both of you were blind to the other’s feelings. She secretly hoped this would help you understand each other’s feelings and finally, finally get together.

Turning back around, they decided to let the two of you have your time together. They’ll just tell Yaga they couldn’t find you once training started.

tags: @mrsyixingunicorn10 @cinnaa-x @xamilarin @cloudsinthecosmos @rivaiken @vr00m-vr00m @shycreatorsandwich @the-fab-killjoy

Sequel to Cat Nap here

Jujutsu Kaisen belongs to Gege Akutami

©️nerdiel-has-no-braincells Please do not copy, translate, and post as your own. Reblogs, likes, and comments are ok with me!

[drvirgus]

Mute!

Non-Idol! Hanni X Mute! Reader

Description: Life as a mute girl in university: How does Y/n navigate her life, especially when she has to work on a project with her crush, one of the popular kids on campus? Can Y/n find a way to express her feelings?

Warnings: Trauma; strong language; kys/kms jokes; insults; bad family 😔 (kind of abuse?)

Chapter: Double Date (fully-written)

Masterlist

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With a smile on my face, I stood down the street, waiting patiently for Hanni, who was just parking the car in front of me and hastily getting out. She almost stumbled over her own feet but fortunately caught herself on the hood. A laugh escaped her throat as she looked at me to check if I had seen it.

I immediately turned my head away from her so it wouldn't be too embarrassing for her. "I know you saw it," I heard Hanni say. "Look at me. I want you to look at me," she said with a smile, so I turned my head back to her. Her smile grew wider. "Hey," she said softly, which made my smile even broader. My cheeks even turned a little red.

Hanni chuckled. "Shall we?" she asked as she opened the passenger door of her car for me. She had to pull a bit harder since the door seemed difficult to open. No wonder... the car didn't look particularly safe.

Hanni laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I should have taken Minji's car instead, right? Wait here. I'll quickly drive to Minji and switch—," Hanni said, overwhelmed, as she tried to close the passenger door again. But I held her by the forearm and simply shook my head with a smile.

Her eyes widened as she watched me get into her car. Hanni visibly swallowed, and the redness on her cheeks was unmistakable. But, well... love made one blind... that's probably why I didn't notice it.

With a clearing of her throat, Hanni closed the door and moved behind the driver's side, buckling up immediately. Before she even started the engine, she checked if I was buckled up. "Here. You can play some music. But not too loud, otherwise there will be some interference from the speakers," Hanni said, and I nodded in understanding.

Hanni was probably a bit embarrassed, but it didn't bother me at all. After all, the thing drove. The main purpose was fulfilled, and I didn't need anything more. Now, I stared at my music and glanced at Hanni before looking back at my music. What could she possibly like?

I then played one of the songs that became famous in 2024. Hanni's eyebrows raised as she briefly looked at me and then back at the road. "Play what you like," Hanni said with a smile as she briefly placed her hand on my knee.

So, I played one of my songs, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. I immediately relaxed in the car and let the music play. Hanni chuckled. "Oh. This song was also on Yuna's MP3 player," Hanni said, a bit surprised, as she glanced at me.

I immediately shook my head and pointed at myself. Hanni furrowed her brow until the penny dropped. "Oh. That was yours?" she asked, which made me nod. Hanni smiled right away as she kept looking at the road, of course, to avoid an accident. "I like your music," she said a bit quieter, applying a bit more pressure on my knee.

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With my hand on Hanni's back, I gestured for her to go ahead of me, which she did immediately. I still had my tablet in hand as I followed Hanni and the waitress to our reserved table. Felix and Hyunjin were not yet present, which made me roll my eyes.

I hated it when others were late...

Hanni sat right next to me since the two seats across from us were free, where the gay couple would sit. I immediately opened my tablet and took my stylus in hand, as Hanni seemed to have a question. The woman beside me noticed and started to laugh a little. "Well, Danielle has a crush on Felix. How long—" Hanni began, but our conversation was interrupted by Felix's snappy remark as he and his boyfriend sat down at our table.

Hyunjin's jaw was tense, his expression dark, while Felix looked as if he might burst into tears, though he also seemed pretty angry. Hanni glanced back and forth between the two, confusion written all over her face. I smiled amusedly and wrote something on my tablet, "It's always like this. Give them 10 minutes, and they'll be in love again."

Hanni read it and laughed a little. She grabbed the menu that a waiter had previously placed on the table. She leaned in closer to me as we ignored the huffing and sighing from across the table, focusing only on the menu.

"Shall we share again? Like last time?" Hanni asked, looking directly into my eyes. My breath hitched as Hanni was closer than I expected. My face reddened, and I gave a thumbs-up, my head hanging low in embarrassment as I stared at the menu.

"I hope you choke on your food."

"Oh, please. You'd be the first to cry."

"Not for you."

Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and waved my left hand in front of Felix's face, which caught his attention immediately. I pressed my lips together and gestured first to my eyes and then to the menu.

"She says to shut up and finally decide what you want to eat," Hyunjin suddenly said, leaving me open-mouthed in shock. Hanni beside me giggled a bit as she looked at the three of us. I promptly slapped her thigh gently, which made her laugh even louder.

Now Felix laughed too, and I couldn't help but join in. A nearly choking sound escaped my mouth as I laughed. Even Hyunjin, who had remained serious the entire time, started laughing at my unusual laugh. Our table was filled with laughter.

I was the first to calm down since no sound came out of my mouth anymore, though I was still laughing silently. My hand hit Hanni's arm repeatedly as I laughed. She had her hand on my thigh, also hitting me as she laughed along.

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"So, how long have you two been together?" Hanni asked eagerly as she stole a bit of my pasta. A smile formed on my face as I watched her hold out her fork for me to try her food as well. I tasted it immediately, without feeling the stares of the two men on us. Felix's grin was unmistakable.

"Uh, I'm pretty bad at remembering dates," Felix admitted, turning his head to Hyunjin. "How long has it been? Four years?" he asked, and even Hyunjin had to think for a moment. He then responded with the exact date, causing Felix's eyes to widen. Shortly after, his expression relaxed, and he turned more toward his boyfriend.

My eyebrow raised as I observed Felix and Hyunjin looking at each other lovingly, exchanging a knowing glance with Hanni. Felix suddenly gasped and looked back at me, his hand on his chest. "I forgot to tell you," he said dramatically.

"Yeji is back."

My smile faded as I simply nodded in response. I noticed how Hanni's curiosity intensified, especially after seeing my reaction. "Who's Yeji?" she asked, making me flinch slightly. My jaw clenched a bit more than before. "My sister," Hyunjin said quietly with a sigh.

Hanni's forehead wrinkled visibly as she looked first at Felix, then Hyunjin, and finally at me. Felix sighed, "She and Y/N... were together once or... something like that," he explained, almost angrily looking at Hyunjin, who raised his hands defensively. "It's not my fault," Hyunjin said, making Felix sigh again.

Hanni hummed and leaned closer to me. "So, do we hate her?" she asked, surprising me. My eyes widened as I looked at the person next to me. I felt myself relax and leaned a bit more into Hanni as I shook my head.

"Definitely. That bitch... why is she back?" Felix asked, looking at Hyunjin, who just shrugged.

I continued eating. I didn't want to know anything about it...

I didn't care anymore...

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Taglist: @sixflame438 @saysirhc @itzzyyyyyyydaaaa @somedaydream @wonyoungssi @gtfoiydlyj

[the-yuri-librarian]

Bloom into You Analysis: Chapter One

Bloom into You tells the story of high school freshman Yuu, as she discovers herself and tries to gain an understanding of "love," which all of her friends seem enamored with. She has never had someone who felt special to her in that way, though she desperately wants to. This all changes when she meets sophomore Nanami, who has also never fallen in love. As they get to know each other, Nanami begins to fall in love with Yuu, though Yuu does not understand why. At the same time, Yuu thinks her chest may be starting to flutter, a feeling that she has longed for but still does not understand...

In this analysis series, I am going to explore Bloom into You chapter by chapter, breaking down what the writing is doing, how what the writing is doing works, and why the series is so popular. But, first, here's my favorite panel from chapter one.

Analysis below the cut

This may be common sense on some level, but the first chapters of most works of fiction typically have the same goals: establish the main character(s) (including their personality and flaws), the setting, the story, and the antagonist(s), as well as any thematic through-lines that will be present in the story. These goals, however, are especially important for a series that is released weekly; when you're reading a novel or a collection of chapters in a manga volume, the writer has a lot more room -- and as a result, leeway -- to take their time laying the groundwork for their story. But, when something is released chapter by chapter on a week-to-week basis, like Bloom into You, it is imperative that the writer does their best to give you, the reader, a reason to come back next week, and the week after that, and so on. The constraints of the weekly release schedule are something to keep in mind as we proceed with this analysis, not just for this chapter, but for all chapters. The constant stress to keep audience engagement high likely had an impact on the writing decisions Nakatani Nio made as she developed this story, for better and worse. With that being said, let's dive in on page one:

Full disclosure: I really love this page. It utilizes a combination of visual storytelling, internal monologue, and the manga itself as a framing device to perfectly establish the protagonist, Yuu, in a single page. Visually, Yuu is laying on her bed listening to music, (presumably) a light novel spread across her lap. The "camera," which serves as the audience's POV, is above her, so she is staring at us as she stares at the ceiling. Laying next to her are a couple of romance mangas, another book, her music player (an mp3 player of some kind), and an open CD case. Even without the inner monologue, you can immediately tell that Yuu is interested in romance. Nakatani then uses Yuu's inner monologue to take the audience's initial impression of Yuu and twist it. She is not interested in love in the same way the average teenage girl is; she is not particularly boy crazy, nor is she very experienced in the ways of love. Instead, she is interested in love precisely because she has never experienced it. She even thinks it herself: "I don't need a dictionary to understand the meaning... But I've never felt them for myself" (v. 1, Ch. 1, page 4; emphasis original). This not only works to make Yuu more complex as a character, but it is also a way to draw the audience in. It leads them to wonder, "Why hasn't she experienced love? Has she been hurt in the past? Or, is something else going on?" And then, finally, in what I genuinely think is brilliant, Nakatani turns the manga itself into a framing device by allowing the title of the chapter to interact with Yuu's inner monologue. The first box of Yuu's inner monologue reads, "The words in shoujo manga and love songs... They're always sparkling brightly" (ch. 1, page 4; emphasis original). She then laments that she knows what the words mean, but she's never felt them for herself. In comparison, the title of the chapter is "I cannot reach the stars." Thanks to the use of bold text for emphasis, Nakatani is drawing a straight line from the monologue to the chapter title. In other words, the stars that Yuu cannot reach are the feelings in the manga and love songs she is lamenting about. This gives the audience incredible insight into Yuu's character, because it tells us right away that not only does she yearn to feel the love that comics and songs talk about, but she also blames herself for her inability to feel romantic feelings, a thought that is going to become a driving force of the plot right away.

The next four pages work to set up the story. In summary, Yuu is not sure what club she wants to join, and one of her teachers recommends the student council, offering for her to sit in on one of their meetings. Yuu agrees because it sounds interesting, but on her way to the student council building, she gets lost. Instead, she stumbles upon a boy asking a girl out, which leads to:

This is our introduction to Nanami, the somewhat deuteragonist, and, more importantly, Yuu's main love interest. As the above image implies, Nanami turns this guy down. Then, she spots Yuu, who admits she is lost, and together they go to the student council building, where Nanami reveals she is a member of the student council. As the chapter progresses, Yuu, and by extension the audience, learns a lot about Nanami, mainly through dialogue. She is a sophomore, ten people (including by some girls) have confessed their love to her since she started high school, and she has turned everyone down largely because she was not interested, but also because "none of their confessions made [Nanami's] heart pound" (ch. 1, page 22; emphasis original). This information is given briskly, and as it happens we watch as Yuu becomes more and more interested in Nanami. At first, it is explicitly because she saw Nanami turn down a confession; her inner monologue in the next scene reveals that Yuu was confessed to at her middle school graduation and has not answered yet. Then, she hangs out with Nanami and Sayaka (Nanami's best friend and fellow student council member and sophomore) the next day, and begins to realize that Nanami is a cool and interesting person. Then, when Nanami reveals she has never felt love, Yuu's interest in her increases exponentially. The pacing and speed at which we are given information really works here, as Nakatani employs Yuu's increasing interest in Nanami to keep the reader engaged while also only highlighting the key aspects of Nanami's personality. She provides the audience enough information to keep us interested, but not so much information we have the full picture. This series of scenes culminates in the final scene of the chapter, when Yuu asks Nanami for advice in the student council room the next day.

On the third day after Yuu meets Nanami, she finds herself exactly as she hoped: alone with Nanami in the student council room. She explains that she has been confessed to and that the boy in question is expecting a response. As she relays this information, Nanami mistakes her intentions and says that she is not the right person to give out advice on this subject. Yuu responds that she's already decided to turn him down. During this conversation, the audience is shown a flashback of the confession, and when the flashback is over, Yuu does just that: she turns the boy down. When she is done and has had a moment to relax, Nanami takes her hand and asks Yuu in clear terms if there has ever been anyone special to her, if she has ever had romantic feelings for anyone. Yuu says no, and this leads to the page that my favorite panel is from:

There is excellent storytelling happening here. At first, Yuu and Nanami are holding hands and standing acorss from each other, then, with a turn of the page, Nanami is pulling Yuu closer. In the next panel, the camera cuts wide, showing us how empty the room is and just how close our lead girls are standing. The perspective shifts here are meant to put the audience on edge and add pressure to the tension that has building all chapter. Then, on the last panel, right as the tension is at its highest, the plot twists, letting the tension release like a stretched rubber band. It's a twist for Yuu too; the confusion on her face is painfully clear, as she begins to realize she has misread Nanami. Then, Nanami voices the realization Yuu is having out loud, informing her that they are not the same, they are different...

...because Nanami is falling in love with Yuu. Just like that, with the flip of a page, the rest of the story is set up. Yuu, the girl who cannot fall in love, has made likely the most popular girl in school fall for her, seemingly because of the explicit fact that she has never fallen in love before. This twist takes the hook that was already in the audience's mouth and sets it into the flesh of their cheek; they're hooked now, and there is no telling where the story will go from here. Not all is perfect, though. In this scene, Nanami actually comes on a little too strongly for my taste, particularly dropping the L word so early. This is likely an effect of the weekly release schedule that I mentioned earlier; Nakatani likely wanted to end the chapter on the strongest note possible, leading to such a powerful confession. Additionally, it is hard to tell how valid this complaint is, as I am dealing with an admitted constraint: I do not read or write Japanese. This inherently limits my understanding of the scene, because I am perpetually an additional step away from understanding Nakatani's true meaning; not only am I reading the line through my own cultural values and life experiences, but the line itself has been translated from the Japanese, and since translation is itself an art, the translator's own cultural values and life experiences likely affects how they translate it. With that being said, assuming this is not a translator error and the original Japanese does say "love," then there is a moment later in the story that is the ideal place for Nanami to say "love" for the first time (in my opinion at least) that I will point out when we get there.

And, with Nanami's confession, the chapter ends. In the pages of this chapter, we can already see the emergence of the story's main theme: what is love? But, as the characters progress, this story is also going to grapple with questions of bodily autonomy, friendship, and what it means to find your way in the world. This story is, in my view, ultimately a coming-of-age story for Yuu. Not just romantically, but developmentally. She has to find her way in the world when everyone around her seemingly already knows their way. And, it is that journey that makes this story so special.

I hope you enjoyed this analysis! Sorry it was so long. Honestly, there was a lot more I wanted to say, but I ended up summarizing a lot to keep it as brief as I could. Chapter two is fewer pages so it'll be shorter (I hope). Speaking of, chapter 2 will go up on Wednesday, January 10th. Hope to see you then! ^-^

p.s. if you can fluently read Japanese and are interested in helping me on this project, please DM me!

p.p.s here's a cute bonus image from the end of the chapter!

[lucy-sky]

Loving You Easy (Shane Walsh x f!Reader)

Scandalous Sunday prompt - being caught

My last story for @bernthirst-events​‘s Bernthirst Palooza, woohooo! I did it :DD

Sometimes a little bit of music can bring miracles into your life. Even in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

Warnings: flirting and sort of mutual pining; ALMOST smut

A/N: this is a request from my dear friend @skvatnavle​ - I’m not sure if that’s exactly what you expected, but that’s what I came up with :) Hope it’s fine and you enjoy it.

Words: 1709; AO3 link if you prefer reading there.

When you noticed this little thing during another supply run, you could hardly believe your eyes, even though there was nothing extraordinary about it. Just a little MP3-player with small earbuds. As you pick it up from the dirty floor, you were wondering how it ended up here. Maybe some of the customers dropped it as they escaped the store, panic stricken, someone kicked it and it stayed there behind the counter until you found it. Or maybe the device used to belong to the cashier, and they listened to it during the dull night shift hours when there wasn’t much work to do. This thing had a history you’d never learn, but you couldn’t have left it there. So you put it into your pocket before answering Shane’s voice calling for you.

Later at night, lying on your bed, you put on the earbuds and press the play button on the little device. The screen lightens up, but only to show you the low battery sign before going dark again. You sigh. What did you expect? This thing was covered in dust, it’s been lying there for… Months? And of course there are no new batteries among your supplies at the moment. You got up and checked the drawers in your room, also with no success. Shit. Oh, wait a second. What if Shane got some during today’s run? Asking won’t hurt, right?

Walking out into the corridor, you glance at the door of his room, relieved to to notice the light pouring from the chink at the doorstep. So you tap gently on the door, before gingerly opening it and looking inside.

“Hey, Walsh,” you ask quietly. “You awake?”

“Hey,” he yawns, putting aside the book he was reading. “What’s up, darlin’?”

There were times you used to hate him calling you “darlin’” or “princess” or “sweetheart”, but at some point you got used to these nicknames, as well as you got used to him. He can be an asshole sometimes, but he has never hurt you in any way possible, plus the smug bastard is pretty attractive, you have to admit. You know the reality you live in is not the best place for flirting. You also know the man had history with Lori, and probably with Andrea as well, but somehow it doesn’t repulse you. You all are only human after all, trying to survive in your own ways.

“I was just wondering, did you grab any batteries today?”

“I think so, yeah,” Shane gives you a curious look. “What’s that?”

“Could I uh… Borrow a couple? My flashlight is dying, so…”

“Right. Okay, sure,” he sits down, reaching for his backpack, fishes a set of batteries out of it. “There ya go.”

“Thanks, Walsh,” you smile. “I owe you for those.”

“‘S okay. You keep trippin’ on stuff in the daylight, I don’t want you to break your neck in the dark,” he chuckles.

“Oh fuck you, Walsh,” you huff.

“Good night to you too, sweetheart!”

You don’t know exactly why you lied to him about that flashlight. Somehow the MP3-player didn’t seem like an… important enough reason. Walsh would definitely make even more fun of you if he knew what you really need those batteries for.

The next day you’re in charge of washing the dishes after the dinner. The farmhouse is empty - everyone went out to do their chores. A perfect opportunity to turn on the music.

Once you switch the player on, you instantly realize how much you’ve missed it. Not some song or band in particular - just music. Any music in general.

♫ “No makeup on and shining so bright

My old sweatshirt never fit so right

Dancing around to the radio

Humming the words that you don't know” ♫

Zac Brown sings this cheesy love song in your ears, and if you close your eyes, it’s somehow so easy to imagine that none of this has happened. No walkers, no deaths, no goddamn end of the world - it was just a really long nightmare, and now you’re in your kitchen again, humming to familiar tunes from the radio. 

Smiling to yourself, you start working, swaying to the music and singing to yourself as you’re done with another bowl. Too lost in the music, you almost drop the plates you’re holding as your back bumps into someone. Swiftly turning around, you meet familiar brown eyes and a cheeky smirk.

“Shane, what the fuck? You scared the shit out of me!” you groan, pushing him in the chest.

“So that’s why you needed those batteries, huh?” he raises his eyebrows, clearly amused. “I knew it’s not the goddamn flashlight!”

“Yeah, so what?” your cheeks start to burn, but you refuse to admit your embarrassment. “I deserve a little something that makes me feel happy and alive, and I’m not gonna apologize for that!”

“Whoa, easy, darlin’,” Shane chuckles, raising his hands in a surrender gesture. “Didn’t say you should apologize for anything, did I? I actually really enjoyed seeing you dancing like that.”

“Oh, so you enjoyed it, yeah?” you smirk back at him. “Well, you know what? It’s not some kind of a show for you, Walsh. C’mon. Join me.”

With this you take one of the earbuds off and hand it to him.

“Hate to disappoint you, sweetheart, but I-I’m not really a good dancer.”

“I don’t give a shit. You already saw me being silly, now it’s your turn.”

“Alright,” he nods, stepping closer and putting the earbud on. You press play and Zac Brown’s voice continues singing his song.

♫ “You make loving you easy

You make loving you all I wanna do

Every little smile and every little touch

Reminds me how just how much it all makes

Loving you easy” ♫

“Come on, man, relax. Feel the rhythm!” you encourage playfully, grabbing his hand. “It’s easy, right?”

You both move a bit awkwardly at first, but then the magic happens. Shane’s free hand finds your waist, pulling you closer as you sway to the music together. There’s something so intimate about sharing a pair of earbuds and dancing around the kitchen like that, something way too romantic for this whole setting, this new reality. Romantic, but also the closer he gets the more your cheeks flush, and your heart beats a little faster when your eyes meet.

“See, you’re not that bad,” you say, trying to play it cool, to not give away how flustered you really are.

“Yeah, you think?” his voice is a little raspy, it somehow gives you shivers. “You know what, sweetheart?”

“What?” you breathe out as his thumb gently reaches your chin, tilting your face up.

“You still owe me for those batteries, remember?”

“I remember you said it’s fine.”

“Changed my mind, I guess,” he chuckles softly and leans in. The touch of his lips is unexpectedly tender at first, but as you open up to him, the kiss becomes deeper, way more heated and passionate. You let out a quiet moan as his tongue slips past your parted lips, shamelessly exploring your mouth. You respond with equal eagerness, your hand reaching the back of his neck as you gently nip on his lower lip. It’s been so long since the last time you had a make-out session like that, it was somewhere in previous life, and now you can’t get enough. Neither of you can. 

The earbuds already fell out of your ears, your sighs and barely heard moans the only music left. Shane keeps gently pushing you until your butt hits the cabinet next to the sink, and he urges you to sit on it. His lips are already trailing down the curve of your neck, warm breath tickling your skin, while his hand squeezes your bare thigh - you mentally thank the summer heat that made you wear a light dress today. But when his fingers find a way under the skirt of the said dress, it suddenly hits you.

“Shane… Shane! W-wait…” you whisper frantically, pushing him away. He pulls back frowning, dark eyes examining your face.

“I uh… Don’t think it’s a good idea. Someone can walk in,” you tell him in a shaky voice, heart still racing.

“Nah, c’mon, sweetheart… No one’s around,” he leans in again, pressing a kiss against the side of your neck, then right under your ear. “I know you want that as much as I do…” 

You shiver as his fingers reach your underwear, pressing against your already shamelessly wet center.

“I can feel it.”

Your eyes flutter shut as he carefully strokes you through the fabric of your underwear, his lips back on your neck - shit, he’s gonna give you a hickey if he keeps going like that… But damn, it feels too good. So you surrender. You let those curious digits get under the crotch of your panties, dip between your folds, find a little throbbing bud there. Your toes curl in pleasure when he touches you where you need it the most, your head spinning. In the heat of a moment you blindly reach between his legs, palming him through his jeans, causing him to groan into the crook of your neck.

“Hey, y/n!”

You’re quick to push Shane away the moment you hear Beth’s voice.

“You need any help with those di-” she stumbles, surprised to see someone else with you in the room.

“No, um… Shane’s already helping me,” you reply, quickly grabbing the nearest pyramid of plates and shoving it in the man’s hands. “Thank you, Beth.”

“Oh… Okay,” she gives you a slightly awkward smile, “See you later than.”

“Uh-huh,” you nod, smiling back. 

As she leaves, you finally glance at Shane, and his baffled expression makes you snort a laugh.

“Oh, you find it funny, do ya?” He tries to sound angry, but his voice cracks with laughter as well.

“I told you it's a bad idea,” you shrug innocently. “Guess you’re helping me finish the dishes now, Walsh.”

“Yes, ma’am. But hey, you still owe me though.”

“Okay,” you grab him by the shirt and pull him into another passionate kiss.

“Come get the rest in my room tonight,” you smirk as you pull back.

“Got it, darlin’,” he grins, licking his lips.

Thank you for reading!

additional tag: @munsonownsmyass​

[neurosismancer]

So, let me put on my Internet Old Person hat and tell you kids about the the way we committed music piracy in the long long ago of 2001, and the fragility of those music collections in those days.

You might know Napster. You might know Limewire. But there was a music piracy tool in between those. A little remembered program called AudioGalaxy, and it worked a little like Napster and a little like BitTorrent. The exact details of how it worked are immaterial, but one thing it did was when you searched for an artist, the songs were sorted, in essence, by popularity (e.g. how many people had that specific song file shared.)

Now, I can’t understand why this was a thing, but there was a strange phenomenon in the early days of file sharing and music piracy where people would share songs with the wrong artist name or song title. Certain bands and artists got a lot of stuff attributed to them that they never recorded. “Weird” Al Yankovic may be the most infamous victim of this, with nearly every novelty song and song parody released attributed to him regardless of quality or subject matter.

The confluence of these two phenomena are how I discovered one of my favorite bands of all time.

So, in my late teens, I found a new favorite band. A quickly little one-hit wonder known as DEVO. Y’know, the band that dd “Whip It.” They had the funny red hats that looked like flowerpots. Those guys.

Anyway, I had become obsessed with this band to the point of autistic hyperfixation, and I wanted to hear everything they’d ever put out. At that point, they’d released nine studio albums, a couple live albums, and two collections of early demos, and I wanted them all. So I would find myself crawling in the bottom pages of the AudioGalaxy search results looking for those obscure tracks—b-sides, songs on soundtracks and compilations, the occasional bootleg, They’d pop up between songs that were obviously not by DEVO, and much like our poor friend Alfred Yankovic, any sort of vaguely quirky 80s song got assigned to DEVO.

That was how I found it. A song called, simply, “Detachable Penis.”

Now, I had never heard of such as song, but I knew on the face of it, it wasn’t a DEVO song.

But with a title like that, I knew I had to find out just what in the name of fuck a song called “Detachable Penis” sounded like.

It sounded, dear reader, like this:

(CWs: blurry images of a dildo, the word penis, spoken word poetry)

And I immediately went to Google, because this song somehow tickled an itch in my brain, and I had to go and find out the real band that recorded this song, because how the hell else was I going to get every song I could of theirs I could get my grubby little hands on. The band was called King Missile, and I was hooked.

I’d like to see any music discovery algorithm beat that.

I eventually acquired their entire major discography along with a few EPs and B-Sides. I eventually burned those to a CD, which I could listen to with my MP3 CD Player.

And I realize, upon writing that, for you youth “MP3 CD Player” is a noun phrase that needs explaining. See, while the iPod had been released at that point, and similar devices were also on the market, they were all prohibitively expensive. The economical way to listen to pirated music files was to burn them to CD, but some CD players had software that allows you to burn those song as as _data_. Suddenly, you could have a single CD with 700 megabytes of MP3 files—room for an artist’s entire discography, if not multiple artists.

Since I was download a whole lot of MP3s with my high speed DSL connection, I was taking up an awful lot of space on my hard drive that needed to be offloaded somehow. CD-Rs and an MP3 CD Player were the optimal solution. And it worked…

…until it didn’t.

In the summer of 2002, my parents took me on a vacation to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. It was in the latter city where someone got into our rental car and swiped my MP3 CD player and a binder of CDs—both pressed CDs I’d acquired and CD-Rs of illicitly acquired MP3s, along them a CD-R I’d burned containing the nearly complete King Missile discography.

Songs I had only on that one CD-R.

It took me a decade—ten fucking years—before I’d recovered all the music that was on that disc.

This is the sort of discovery and the sort of loss that kids will never experience again in this day of Spotify and the all-you-can-eat buffet of music on demand we have now.

[night-city-valentines]

Hi-Fi Rush Review

I knew nothing about this game prior to its release, other than two things - people said it was similar to Jet Set Radio Future, and it was coming to Game Pass.

I've never played JSRF (but I've always wanted to) and I have Game Pass, so I downloaded and booted it up.

I was hooked from the start.

Hi-Fi Rush is an action-rythym game, with platforming, puzzle, and collect-a-thon elements set on the futuristic island owned by the Vandalay Corporation - a robotics company, currently giving out replacement limbs as part of their 'Project Armstrong'. Our protagonist, Chai, signs up for a replacement arm, but a mishap with his legally-distinct-from-an-iPod MP3 player ending up where his heart should be makes him perceive the world to the beat of his rock music. It also makes him Vandalay's Number One Target, as they label him a defect to be destroyed.

This all happens in the opening cutscene.

The game is gorgeous, going for an animation style similar to Spider-Verse, with the visuals being incredibly comic-like. The anime inspiration is also clear, with all the panicked and OTT movements of Chai as he scraps his way out of trouble. Along the way, you run into a host of other characters, such as a robot cat named 808, a badass hacker called Peppermint, a gentle giant called Macaron, and a therapist robot named CNMN (Cinnamon). And they aren't just supporting characters in the narrative sense, they also help you out in gameplay too (well, not CNMN, but what can ya do). Peppermint can crack through energy barriers with her laser pistols, Macaron can bust through walls and knock heavy objects into place, and 808 serves as an understated beat-counter, their lights pulsing along to the beat of the song that's playing.

808 isn't the only musical gameplay indicator, though. The entire world moves with the soundtrack, not just to the beat, but adding flair to the current track, like platforms rapidly shifting, and certain puzzles following their own beat. Even the combat has rythym to it; security lasers with unique timings, having to attack, dodge, and jump on-beat to do more damage and build your score multiplier, and parriable mini-boss moves that let you get a 1-hit KO. Chai's weapon of choice is a guitar made from scrap, and every hit, combo, and parry comes with a musical element.

The story is a fairly standard fare - Chai wants to GTFO, but he can't until he helps Peppermint take down Vandalay. Full disclosure, I haven't finished the game yet (I'm about halfway done), but what I have played I have adored. The game is packed to the brim with charm too. Chai is a quippy slacker, way in over his head, but loving every minute of his adventure. Peppermint is hot-headed, but bounces off of Chai well, and puts him in his place. The 6 bosses of Vandalay are all wonderful too, from the aggressive Southern wrestler-type Rekka, to the obviously JJBA-inspired Zanzo. Like many games nowadays, Hi-Fi's characters like to make meta-jokes, and while I am tired of that as a concept, in Hi-Fi it's sparing enough that I don't hate it (unlike a certain OTHER Game Pass game that also starts with an 'H').

And the soundtrack, oh MAN the soundtrack. It goes hard. There isn't much more I can say! It features both original and licensed music, but the originals are so freakin good I can barely tell the difference. Obviously if you aren't that into rock music, you won't like it, but that's a matter of preference.

With regards to what I DON'T like, I found the part that teaches you about parrying to be way too obstructive. Like, the otherwise fast-paced game screeches to a halt to teach you about this new mechanic, rather than all the other tutorial segments, which are over really quickly. I also find it hard to stay on-beat, even with the optional big on-screen indicator. This may be a problem with my controller, but more often than not I would hit the buttons in time with the beat, but only like 2 out of a 4 hit combo would be on time, which massively brings down your score, which sucks. Also, some of the combos just...don't work? Like I don't know if I really am doing them wrong, but I do the input, and no special move happens. That sucks too. Also I would have preferred to be given the choice to play as Peppermint over Chai but that's just me being nit-picky, let's be honest.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this game so far. I would definitely recommend trying it out if you have Game Pass, and I'd say it's worth the £30 price tag IF you like the music used. Even then, the gameplay is fun enough that you could mute the music and play to the beat on-screen if you just want a fun hack-and-slash adventure. The game is available on Steam, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S.

Hi-Fi Rush - 9/10

Pros:

- Great soundtrack

- Fun and addictive gameplay

- Wonderful characters and humour

Cons:

- Timings can be a bit wack

- The parry tutorial suuuuuucks

[dead-set-goat]

Although spotify does it for you, i think it’s better to make your own music-year-review list. I want to share a few songs (and maybe a few words about them too) that have inspired, helped, impressed or spoke to me. This is also a very light personal year-review.

No particular order!

Every Day is Halloween by Ministry

Obviously, listened to this constantly in October but really works any day of the year, the message gets me going. Moving away from my parents and my hometown that very October, I felt free as all hell, free to be who I want to be, dress how I want to dress (or at least try!), it makes me want to fight for my skin :

I exclusively listen to music from an MP3 player when I’m out, fuck smartphones :))))))))), so the story of this: downloaded this whole album to my MP3 player for my trip to Greece this summer because I’d be out a lot, was just curious about ska punk, never listened to it before. And yeah, I fell in love with this, and Capdown. I listen to this when I’m on a rush always, gets me flying! (Yeah, nothing beats running and panicking about being late to an appointment to this)

Can’t recommend Swans early stuff enough! And the new stuff as well. Could swap this for Power for Power on Filth as well. Really good mechanic beats and cold lyrics, walking through a city as lively as it is decayed to this feels just right. A great inspiration for what I’d like to achieve with my music.

I quite enjoy (love with a burning passion) this album for the most part, I don’t listen to drum n’ bass on it’s own but, the metal combo to me hits just perfect. I think this song has the perfect amount of agression, melancholy, explosive distortion, and the best whiney guitar ever! I swear I can hear words of lament in that guitars voice… it’s awesome. It’s a very good song to drown out the noise of the Subway…

This album as a whole. My anxieties and anticipations for the future, my nostalgia and existential terror, agitated into soundwaves. Listening to this, on a suffocating late August afternoon while driving, feels like a thousand spent lifetimes.

I listened to this on easily one of the most emotionally charged days of my life. I was on a car trip across the country, it really hits different with neverending crop fields and rural sights and abandoned factories… For more context about the song, it’s a mockery of the former communist regime, the singer is posing as the dictator, singing about a carefree land preparing for winter, in which “everything is wonderful” and “perfect”.

This is a commuting staple. An industrial rock banger! I think the sound is easy to get into, good for guitars, good for the dance floors, a perfect combo. A fair bit of Machines of Loving Grace songs hooked me instantly.

Absolute dance staple. Strapped it to a wall in the hall of dancing-with-your-last-breath.

I had a panic attack while driving to this, on a bridge. That was an exciting time. I was going to the beach. In the winter. All the vibes were off that day, but in the best way possible. And this song took them all, it’s preserving them like alcohol. Oh also, saw a guy at the gym near my house that had a HEALTH tshirt and I was like, yoo, cool! Because really, rarely do you see people with taste here hah.

One of my industrial fascinations. Not exactly the eye opener (I’ll have that guy show up later), but my, sound has never felt so powerful and it’s not even booming-lound. I highly suggest listening this surround, but even stereo, it’s such a disorienting, enveloping experience.

OH SHIT. Audio limit for this post???

Look out for part 2

[nicodemuslily]

Back to Alaska 1

Another kind of day at work with Jack. /o/ 

The team was ready to wheel up at 30 for Alaska again when Hotch received a phone call from the director of Jack’s school. They discovered an infestation of fungus in the air system of the school. As so, the building needed to be closed for three days and kids had to stay with their parents. Hotch tried to negociate a temporary placement in another school but due to short time schedule, it was not possible. Hotch brought then back Jack to home and called Jessica; but she has the flue. In the end, he called the officer who asked for the BAU and asked him if he really needed his presence (the team will go whatever, but his presence wasn’t necessary). But the guy really wanted him to be there. Then, Hotch asked his son if he wanted to go in Alaska with the BAU team and Jack said: “Yeah!”.

Entrance at the airport, the guard recognized Hotch but he asked him what he was doing with a kid on board. Hotch told him he found the boy at the street corner and the guard didn’t get the joke. As so, he asked for Jack credentials and then agreed to let them pass, not without saying that if he was so suspicious it’s because the kid really didn’t look like him.

In the jet, Garcia jumped on the little boy, calling him : “her tiny rollmops!” and all the team was happy to have this additional agent on the field. Jack also meet Alex Blake for the first time and found she was cool. He then sat down near the window and Garcia gave him one of their digital tablet for him to draw during the travel (she blocked all the images and the files about the case before). In the main time, Morgan and Hotch started an argument. The team needed to talk about the case but Jack was not supposed to hear anything about it. Morgan offered his headphone and his MP3 player, and Hotch immediately checked on it. Morgan underlined that, once again, he has no trust in him. Hotch answered that he wasn’t checking for the song but for the volume. In the end, when they were talking about victims, unsub and creepy facts, Jack was drawing the airplane with the head of all the members of the team (and himself) looking by the windows. 

Back on the ground, Jack was thrilled by the huge cars they had. His father was less convinced because there was no child seat in it. Morgan didn’t get why it was an issue and Hotch showed him why it was (and Jack found the living example funny). Hotch has to travel with his son sat on his knees, so he asked for Morgan to drive. Jack asked to be on the front seat in the first car (to see the snowfield) and he wanted Garcia to be with them too. During the journey between the airport and the precinct, Jack asked many questions about the rollmops and the cars, and it was a lot of fun for the adults.

At the precinct, the team started working, still with Jack around, drawing and playing with the few toys the cops around had. And he kept Morgan’s MP3 player because he liked his music. At nightfall, Jack asked to go in a restaurant to eat reinder (he first asked for caribou, but his father told him it was a canadian thing) and they ended in a diner with local food. Jack asked for a dishes with a wine sauce but his father refused (no wonder why... :D). 

And then, father and son ended in their bedroom, enjoying together the bedtime ritual. Later, Hotch remembered that sleeping with a kid is, like JJ said: sleeping with a drunk wrestler. XD     

___

OMG, drawing cars is so difficult. o_O That’s why I drew two of them. XD

The brushing teeth moment was tricky too. I had to pay attention to the fact that Hotch is clearly a left-handed guy, but not necessarily Jack (I made him right-handed, like his mother), and that we see them from the point of view of the mirror. 

[callofdooty]

Okay Kip, I know you said it was Keegan who was "Numb" by Linkin Park, but it is SUCH a Logan song.

Don't know what you're expecting of me Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes

Is that not just Logan bitching about Rorke choosing him to be another exorcist? (What I've decided the name is for whatever the Federation made Rorke into. Yeah it's a play on words.)

All I want to do Is be more like me And be less like you

Hello? Logan wanting to be Logan again and not what the Federation tried making him?

But I know You were just like me with someone disappointed in you

Also this is just me adoring the HC that Logan reads motherfuckers like a book and does so with Rorke.

(Also: I Hc that Logan likes Linkin Park a bit too much, so that's why this is happening lmao. Motherfucker has an Mp3 player with all their songs.)

GOD you are so right. I was thinking that while typing the comment (tbh it's such a good song to fit so many characters LOL) but pairing it with Logan after the game.... The angst. THE ANGST.

Logan fighting for his own autonomy and freedom against all odds, the many ways such a concept can go is sooooo fucking fascinating. Many thoughts. Many. Many thoughts.

AND YES, I can see Logan being the kind of person to just. Observe. Looking beyond what most people take upfront.

And I very much relate HAHA, Linkin Park's music is so, so good. Honestly Logan + Linkin Park songs is such a good combination too. Like if I was to list a few (all from Hybrid Theory/Meteora bcs I'm most familiar with them):

Breaking the Habit (if he's rescued by the Ghosts after some time perhaps); In The End (Maybe for him, Rorke and Hesh?); One Step Closer; Lying From You; Figure.09; Hit The Floor; Don't Stay; maybe even Point of Authority.

AND HONESTLY THERE'S SO MANY OTHER SONGS! Even from different artists (Diluted and Override by Slipknot come to mind ESPECIALLY.) (Maybe even Purity if you want to get into some severe Horror elements)

Or even this bit from No Life (link will take you straight to the section I'm talking abt):

"I can't remember, I don't understand Is it malice that makes you this way? Carry it with you 'til someone forgives you I laugh 'cause there's nothing to say You can't begin to consider the palpable hate In the air when you're here None of us wonder what weather you're under You're making it perfectly clear"

The Exorcist thing also makes me think of No Nature by A Lot Like Birds (the pure seething rage in that song is delightful honestly)

If there's one thing I absolutely love doing, it's assigning songs to character LMFAO Got my brain buzzing like a beehive and I love it

[lapeaudelamemoire]

I do not know why but I have been thinking about a lot of self-harming things today, like slitting the side of my throat sharply with a knife and banging my head on something or tearing my torso open with my hands (???) and now I am inordinately angry. I woke up today actually feeling quite grateful and this is. A big difference.

When I sit down to think about it it's not hard to figure out that well there are a lot of things to be angry about actually, and I've been seeing media about fucking straight-up genocide for like over a month now every day so it's not hard to figure out that huh maybe it's all the fucking anger that's not going anywhere and can't seem to go anywhere and

It's been a long time since I've wanted to throw something across the room but it's happening right now.

I'm really thinking about getting an old phone, you know the kind that only does calls and texts, and going back to using an mp3 player. Today I tried listening to a soundtrack to a donghua I just finished watching and every 2 songs there was a fucking ad. I'm going crazy.

I realised sitting in bed is that my problem is I have always had this morbid curiosity and so left to my own devices I wonder and wondered what it would be like to be in other people's shoes, including things like what would it be like to cut off your tongue with scissors like in Oldboy or what would it be like to dig an eye out like in those fucking HK dramas I watched growing up or what would it be like to hold a kettle that's just gone off against your inner thing like in Secretary or what would it be like to be pressed onto a hot metal cylinder with words embossing you or all those fucking Chinese torture things they did, all the fucking period historical dramas with people getting mutilated, so on, and so on. This endless how does it feel? How do they feel? Endless seeing from someone else's frame of mind, trying to put myself into someone else's shoes. Probably also learned from all the car talks with my dad where he told me to try to think about others. Think about my mum. When I was a child and my mum cried in bed next to me and asked if she was a bad mum and I understood how she felt and said no afraid to hurt her. I see and I try to feel them. What is it like. I wonder what it feels like. G-d. No wonder Will Graham was like that.

-

Angry too because I went to look up provisional psychologist jobs and at least about half of them were about trying to get people 'back to work' out whatever and at least about half of them if not more required you to have an Australian driver's licence and/or access to a car. I don't fucking understand why I need to be able to drive to be a gddamned psychologist.

And then there's the little patch of psoriasis I've developed on my left upper eyelid that I'd also meant to go get some cream from the pharmacy just down the road from me for it but of course I didn't then end up doing it. And when I look it up online it says to reduce my stress levels and I want to laugh.

Because of course me looking at provisional psychologist jobs reminds me too that Oh, some of them don't take international students because of work sponsorship stuff they can't or don't want to do, and then there's also the fucking work hours cap of 48 hours per fortnight that's been put back on now after the COVID lockdowns. So that's tricky and Something Else To Think About. Can I apply to these jobs by myself? How do I juggle all these restrictions? The yearly pay is good but I can't actually work full-time either? etc., etc.

I haven't talked to anyone about how I feel or what's going on. I just work and work on assignments go to the workshops write and send the documents and when I sit down with other people they don't really want to talk about this.

I got in the bath today thinking I'd have a nice soak at least and then my palms started burning again because that's a thing that happens for me now. My eyelid and forehead are scaly and itchy. I don't have much of a reason to go back to Singapore any more and every other moment I am reminded of why. There's all this fucking family stuff suddenly heaving back up like acid and bile in the throat.

Unsurprising that I don't seem to pay much attention to my own needs. Locked door room never leaving the bed clothes strewn in boxes or across the floor. I didn't expect that I would need to relearn how to live again. I guess it'll keep happening, though. And I'll think this again.

[pixxyofice]

would syncing korsica with the mp3 player make it play different songs at a different bpm than when it was chai’s? would the songs sound distorted (either because the mp3 was chai’s and he kicked it or because it’s not fully set up with korsica? an example of what i mean is the song floating point by The Algorithm)?

(mostly wondering this because a different/faster bpm could work better with different attacks, aka i’m thinking of this as pertaining to actual mechanics for some reason. on an unrelated note, rather than parrying and dodging, could korsica parry and repel attacks using her wind… abilities?)

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH Y

It would make them play at different speeds and different songs and maybe be a bit distorted because Chai kicked it and also korsica's not fully set up with it. Basically it's a combo of both.

It helps with different types of combos as you said! I've been thinking about that as well, hah.

Ooo parrying and repeling with her wind abilities sounds clever! Could use her batons as a cross guard in front of her, but maybe certain attacks can be parried with her wind stuff- like, say, fire,

[memoirmemories]

memoirs ; 2

ksshhhh...

crackle of static

he…

loud slam

th.. blaste... ..achine better n... give up on m.. now!

hey, it's me again. yes, the girl stranded in 7020. had a bit of a scare with androids outside my... well, let's call it 'home', last night. it's become a routine ordeal. what i do is flick off the generator from my room and keep as silent as a mouse till the alarms cease. oddly enough, these androids seem oblivious to the sound. spent ages figuring out how to mute the alarms before realizing they just don't react to them. small victories, i guess.

what else, what else... oh! for those sending good vibes, thank you! today's a lucky day. amidst some debris, i found a battery for my camera. fixed the pixel issue, but there's still this interference. could be radiation or something messing with the images.

i've got a picture for you...

as i mentioned, there's interference, but it's through this very device that i'm reaching out to the past. do i understand how it works? not a clue. but it's working, and that's what counts.

found more food today. you might wonder what sustenance looks like here. well, let's just say i'm barely surviving on canned veggies from desolate grocery stores and rare fruits that taste like bitter grapes. hooray for accidental veganism, right? as for hunting... the animals here are riddled with some grotesque parasite. no way am i risking that in my system, cooked or not. i'll try to snag a photo of one soon; they're eerily alert, like the parasite has ears. even my breath scares them away, so it'll be a challenge.

but hey, not just one picture today! i also captured an android. took a quick shot from behind a building.

there it was, just patrolling. they mostly just roam, beep, and whir. managed to get some cool graffiti in the shot too. might try replicating it if i can find some spray paint or something.

god, i wish i could have a two-way conversation with anyone out there. honestly, i'm not even sure this is transmitting anything. just going by what the screen suggests and a whole lot of hope. starved for human contact, so this is as good as it gets for now. if anyone's listening, a response, a voice, would mean everything.

a bit of clarification from my last message: time here is a total enigma. yes, the camera tells me the time, but it doesn't match up with the light outside. and it never really gets dark here. that constant light in the photos? that's the norm. it fluctuates, but not often. i turn off the camera when not in use to save battery life, so i can't constantly check the time.

i think i took the computer picture around 18:00. but now, exhaustion's setting in. been nursing a headache for days, and i'm dehydrated. need to boil some water... been procrastinating on that.

i'll try to share my music with you tomorrow. found an mp3 player a year ago. only three songs on it, but they're my lifeline. the battery lasts, thankfully, as i conserve it like gold.

so, that's it for today. hoping to connect again soon... if there's anyone out there. cheers.

a prolonged sigh, then silence, before the transmission ends

[songsfordustmites]

so i was tagged by the lovely @autumngore to share my top 5 songs in my "on repeat" playlist. clearly that playlist is generated by spotify and i'm not a guy who uses that so here is what my phone says.

right, so i feel like i have to explain things. i only listen to full albums so that's why it is all songs from the same EP. i think it's interesting that this at the top when my phone says that my most played album is 'why?' by they might be giants, but i think that the EP not being my most played album might correlate with how often i listen to these outside of my band's discography in chronological order playlists. i think they're just counted as individual song plays and not album plays when i add the whole playlist to my queue instead of adding just the album by itself. does this make sense? samsung, how is this done?

this whole thing made me wonder if windows media player can do a similar thing since i listen to music on my computer the most and it can apparently! i've figured it out. i made a playlist where i set it to add songs that have over 100 plays and here is what it added.

so it's basically the same fucking thing. alright. i am quite surprised by this and i feel like tmbg should be in here somewhere, but they have a huge discography where i listen to each album at the same frequency so it'll take awhile for them to appear. steve has about thirty songs so with the obsession that i had, i could only listen to these fucking songs and nothing more so i guess it makes sense that he's the only one there.

now, i have used spotify before many times so let's see what has been put in that playlist for me.

alright...i have to explain this. sweet young thing is there for some reason because some person i follow posted the link to it and said some thing about it and i clicked on it because i couldn't remember what the song sounded like so i wanted to hear it. i do not think i listened to the full thing. i think i listened to the soft bulletin once on spotify. friends..my friend shared it to me and that was the first time i heard it and ever since i just listen to the mp3 that i have of it. silly hat is on here because i wanted to see what blue's clues albums were on spotify. i have that cd now. i used to listen to the spongebob squarepants movie soundtrack a lot on here. i should get a copy of it. also it said all of these were added in 2021. i have heard other things on spotify since then so i don't know why they chose these songs.

aw shit i was just supposed to post a picture and that's it, but i got too caught up in the data that i just had to compare!

[avee155]

The Apple iPhone is a well-known communicating device from the house of Apple. The highly advanced mobile telephony features as well as stunning design of the gadget turns the head of the onlooker at the very first glance. One could say that the gadget is a perfect blend of performance and utility.

And the best part is that it comes with easy-to-use touchscreen controls, iPod features as well as image setting options. Besides the multimedia capabilities, this iPhone from Apple also offers some of the latest and the best connectivity options for downloading or sharing important files with other compatible devices.With a small and sleek profile, the handset measures 115mm in height, 61mm in width and 11.6mm thickness and weighs 135grams. The users can easily carry this compact gadget in purses or pockets. The casing of the Apple iPhone comes in a selection of popular colours namely - glossy black and white.

The huge multi-coloured touchscreen of the handset acts as a brilliant display for viewing the data and vibrant graphics. The screen measures 3.5 inches and provides a high resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. As a matter of fact, the multicolored screen is based on a new Mac OS X based user-interface.The owners are able to type in messages on this device, as the iPhone displays a touch QWERTY keyboard on its widescreen. This advanced keyboard comes complete with predictive text that automatically corrects the typing errors. Therefore, it can be said that this QWERTY keyboard provides a user-friendly input method. The owners can enjoy creating text messages, multimedia messages as well as emails, using the touch keyboard. The email facility on the Apple comes with graphics, images & photo attachments as well.

The built in touchscreen music controls help the owners to play, pause, rewind and fast forward the music on the MP3 player. Moreover, the owners can view their album covers on the wide screen. Apart from that, the iPhone comes with a touchscreen search facility that can be used for searching by song, album, artist or playlists. The advanced controls and easy to create music playlists make the gadget all the more interesting. The integrated camera and video capabilities are used for capturing the still images and short videos. The advanced photo management applications provide the users with perfect finish to each and every shot. Like the music capabilities, the video functions can also be controlled by a mere touch.This handset provides real mobile Internet experience to the users. The built-in safari Internet browser can make life easy for the people who need to remain connected with the latest developments taking place. The high-end connectivity options include EDGE, Bluetooth, USB and Wi-Fi for fast & efficient data & file transfers. This handset works well over a GSM quad-band network that allows seamless communication, across the world.

The Apple iPhone is available in two memory options i.e. 4GB and 8GB. Therefore, depending upon the storage requirements, the owners can opt for either of the two. This massive memory storage allows the users to store the varied content without any problem. This smartphone comes with a fitted battery that provides up to 16 hours worth of music playback and approximately 5 hours of talk time, which includes call time, video time as well as Internet browsing time.

isn't just a suggestion but a statement of what is going to happen with most people who want to get themselves Apple's new smartphone this year. There is always a long wait for the new Apple smartphone; specially if you are not in the States. If you are in a country in Asia, this wait may last up to months, specially if you want to get the new iPhone X this year. Now a lot of people are going to be reading this and wondering why because this year, for the first time ever, Apple is rolling out the new iPhone X simultaneously to many countries. The iPhone X goes on sale on the same date in thirteen more countries as it does in North America, which is the 3rd of November. However, that is just theoretical. Anyone who has tried to buy a new iPhone in a retail store or even online, on the day of launch, in any country across the world will know that it is almost impossible. The retail stores have just a few units in stock that are sold out to the people who camp outside the stores for days, waiting to get their hands on the new Apple hotness. Online stores sell out even faster and within minutes if not seconds, the iPhones are back ordered and ship dates slip back to many weeks.

This year was no different and the iPhone X has opened up for pre-order just a few days ago. On the midnight when the Apple online store started accepting orders, those people who did not manage to place their orders for the phone within the first few minutes already started seeing that the phone was back ordered and that their phones would not ship for 4 or even 5 weeks. Those customers that had also bought iPhone covers with their phones realised that their iPhone X case would ship before the phone itself and they'd receive the case before the phone for which it was meant.

iPhone X Cases for your new phone

Customers in countries outside North America who try to buy the iPhone X online are going to have to wait even longer because the phone will probably be available in brick and mortar retail stores long before it is available with online sellers. There too quantities of the iPhone X will be very limited until 2018, so customers are probably going to have a much easier time finding great designer iPhone X cases and iPhone X back covers for their phones, than they are in actually getting the phones.

Almost all major Indian cases sellers and accessory makers have launched their range of iPhone X covers and some are even let prospective iPhone X owners create their own iPhone X custom case with their own photos. All of these iPhone X cases should ship within a few days, so within a week or so, there are going to be a ton of Indian customers who have their iPhone X back covers ready in anticipation of a phone that they haven't even been given the chance to buy yet!

Within one month at the end of 2014, two major smartphone competitors released their newest models, entering themselves into the growing "phablet" market. In September, the Apple iPhone 6 Plus was released, and in October, Google reacted with their Nexus 6. We compare the key features of both smartphones to aid consumer decisions on which manufacturer's device to opt for.

Design & Build Quality

The Nexus 6 measures at 6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches with a 6.0 inch display. It is larger than the iPhone 6 Plus, which measures at a smaller and thinner 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches, holding a 4.7 inch display. Naturally, the Nexus 6 weighs more than the iPhone by approximately 10 grams. The iPhone case is composed entirely of aluminium, giving it an elegant and premium design, while the Nexus 6 has a contoured aluminium front but a cheaper plastic back.

Display Quality

The Nexus 6 has a larger display, and boasts a far higher 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution than its competitor, which only displays 1920 x 1080 pixels per inch. If you can accept some plastic within the build of the Nexus, then you're getting a larger screen in as small amount of space as possible. The screen-to-body ratio of the Nexus 6 is a high 74.03% while the iPhone offers a lower 65%.

Performance

The Nexus 6 packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor offering 2.7GHz with a very high 3GB of RAM. The iPhone 6 Plus boasts a lower 1GB of RAM but holds a custom-built, 64-bit A8 processor and M8 motion co-processor that performs extremely well in tests against the Nexus 6. A key feature of the Google Nexus 6 is the dual front-facing speakers, allowing clear sound targeted towards the user as opposed to the iPhone's bottom-facing speakers next to the charger port.

Photography

Smartphone users increasingly are ditching their separate cameras and using their phone instead, pushing the importance of internal cameras. While the Nexus 6 offers a 13-megapixel camera, which is high in comparison to the iPhone's 8-megapixel lens, both devices deliver similar results in final picture quality. Those obsessed with "selfie" photos will be more attracted to Google's 2-megapixel front facing camera in comparison to Apple's lower 1.2-megapixel front lens.

Battery Life

One of our most important measures is the ability of a smartphone to match its capabilities to its power supply. A beast of a device is useless unless it can power itself efficiently. The Google Nexus 6 wins with a higher standby time 13.8 days compared to the iPhone 6 Plus' poor standby time of 10.4 days. As both models are strenuous on their batteries, don't be surprised if you're device lives longer next to a wall plug than in your hand.

Final Verdict

The Nexus 6 outshines the iPhone 6 Plus with its more advanced capabilities and higher standards of features commonly used by consumers. A better screen and camera sheds light on its advance into the media-obsessed market. But it cannot beat Apple's overall design quality and sleekness, fitting well in the hand while maintaining build strength with its fully aluminium casing.

The latest trend of the innovative powerhouse, Apple, is to release new iPhone models as a pair. The iPhone 5C, which comes in a range of colours, was branded as the "affordable iPhone model". Whereas the iPhone 5S was branded as their premium model with better features, and of course arriving at a premium price. The iPhone 6 is their latest smartphone upgrade, while the 6 Plus is a clear jump into the "phablet" market as Apple rivals with other major competitors. As with any manufacturer, Apple bombards the market with advertisements for their latest releases where profit margins are high and first adopters begin the trend to get their hands on the latest smartphone devices.

Yet when you compare the prices of all iPhone models on the market along with their true technical differences, there is consistently a significant difference in price yet an insignificant change in capabilities and performance. Is the iPhone 6 really an innovative jump from its predecessor or just a minor step up with a few new gimmicks?

When you compare internal changes, you'll find the newer models will have Apple's latest A-chips at a higher GHz and an increase in processor cores, along with new memory capacities. On paper, these changes sound like worthy reasons to upgrade, but when you compare models in reality, side by side, the changes are small and relative. It may be ever so slightly faster and more responsive, but you'll soon get used to this and notice insignificant differences. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are prime examples of Apple bringing new models with elegant designs to appeal to fans yet not actually upgrading much on the inside.

Whether you're a loyal Apple fan with a now old device, or a newcomer looking to dabble in sophisticated, smooth smartphones, it's always worth spending a bit of time trying every model available and consider the real differences between them. You'll find they run similarly, but come at totally different prices. Whatever model you choose, ensure you opt for a suitable internet data package, as all iPhone models tend to eat through data with automatic services constantly updating through 3G and 4G. Most package deals now include unlimited texts as more and more users simply message through internet services anyway, such as Apple's 'iMessage' and Facebook's messaging portal.

Another option to consumers in the UK is to buy the device SIM-free, and purchase a SIM-only contract separately. The advantage of this? Your overall cost, on average, will very likely be significantly lower than if you were to go for a full iPhone contract. SIM only offers tend to be lower priced as no device is provided by the retailer or network, thus passing on these savings to the customer. As long as the customer can purchase their own iPhone, then it is wise to choose a SIM-only contract. Another advantage? More and more SIM-only deals are flooding the market on 30-day rolling contracts, so you won't be locked into the common 18 or 24-month contracts usually advertised.

Thus, it's always recommended to weigh your options, try all devices, decide whether you really need that higher GHz processor, and finally do the maths very carefully when choosing a contract deal. Always ensure your inclusive allowances cover what you will use, as networks charge high prices once you pass those limits. A safe bet is to opt for an optimum number of inclusive allowances as opposed to the most realistic choice.